Indoor Air Purifying Plants for Your Home

In addition to basic photosynthesis that removes carbon dioxide and returns oxygen to the air, plants can remove toxicants from the air, soil and water in at least two ways. First, they can metabolize some toxic chemicals, releasing harmless byproducts, and second, they can incorporate toxicants such as heavy metals into plant tissues, thus sequestering (isolating) them.

Worldwide, ambient air pollution is estimated to cause about 16% of the lung cancer deaths, 25% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths, about 17% of ischaemic heart disease and stroke, and about 26% of respiratory infection deaths. (Source: World Health Organization)

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Indoor Allergen Committee suggested in a 2010 report that allergists consider indoor air filtration to be part of a comprehensive strategy to improve respiratory health. (Source: Environmental Health Perspectives)

Detoxify your home with the following house plants:

• Ficus plant

• Peace Lily

• Boston Fern

• Areca Palm

• Rubber Plant

• Golden Pothos

• Lady Palm

• Chrysanthemums

• Snake Plant (bedroom plant)

• Spider Plant (no sunlight needed / bedroom plant)

• English Ivy (bedroom plant)

• Aloe Vera (bedroom plant)

• Bamboo Palm

• Dracaena (Janet Craig and Cintho) - (no sunlight needed)

• Dwarf Date Plant

• Sansevieria (Laurentii, Superba, Moonshine) (no sunlight needed)

• Philodendron (no sunlight needed)

• Kentia Palm (no sunlight needed)

• Lavender (bedroom plant)

• Jasmine (bedroom plant)

• Gardenia (bedroom plant)

• Bromeliad (no sunlight needed)

• Golden Photos (no sunlight needed)

Cactus is another important plant that literally cleans up and absorbs all of the EMF and radiation in the home.

If you are looking for a great gift, this wonderful company called, Wood and Wine Succulents started by my awesome friend, Laura Linda Bradley is FABULOUS! She makes the most GORGEOUS handmade succulent arrangements and centerpieces! Check out her Etsy store here and her Instagram here .

If you are a plant lover, I wanna see!

Be sure to tag your plant bebes on Instagram with the hashtag:

#NicoleDeRosaLifestylePlants

Productivity Hacks

I've been asking myself recently, am I busy or productive? We all have "busy work" to do and for me that's emails, filling out endless spreadsheets in Google docs, editing, writing, scheduling, researching etc. Then there is the non "busy work" but what I call my productive results driven / life changing work.

Take this website for instance. I have been putting this off because it sounded too overwhelming to start. I kept my writing, photos and ideas tucked away for too long and finally dusted them all off during the pandemic. I am working towards my dreams, building a business and turning my passion into a full time job.

Since I started scheduling my goal achieving tasks first thing in the morning, I have become more of a productive person with tangible results to show for my time and it FEELS SO GOOD! For me, I am focused between 10am -1pm. During that time, I get a lot done. Otherwise, if I do the busy work first, I just get sucked in and before I know it, it's time for lunch. Make it easier on yourself and do the hard work when you're most alert. It has made ALL the difference for me! I've heard people refer to this as "working IN your business" verus "working ON your business".

I love my planners because I needed to stop doing 100 semi important or low priority things per day instead of 1-2 crucial things per day. My mentality is always wanting to do more, reply to everyone quickly, answer questions quickly etc. but the reality is that those things can wait. Checking my email 2-3 times a day instead of every hour, and working on things in between with zero distractions.

6 months of harcore focus and alignment can put you 5 years ahead in life pursuing your dreams and goals. Don't underestimate the power of consistency and desire. We all have what it takes to become the best we can be. Stop doubting yourself! Harness your power and exceed your expectations!

I love to listen to The Skinny Confidential podcast and what really resonated with me was that I didn't need to make a "To Do List" for my entire life, everyday. It's overwhelming and wildly unproductive. What Lauryn Evarts Bosstick aka The Skinny Confidential suggests is....

"Flip it on it's head, just focus on your objectives for the day. What this simple tip does is work on what's going to move the needle without the distraction of the menial tasks that don't matter. You're essentially respecting your time."

If you have meetings and deadlines that day, of course those are non-negotiables. But, you can start by dedicating a day or two where those precious focus hours are for yourself, your hustle and whatever goal(s) you have!

Like Lauryn, "I have my top 3 non-negotiables and separately a list of 7 things I would like to get done in order of importance, so my list is really never bigger than 10 things. It is honestly brutal to have more than 10 to do's. Usually I end up doing about 7. I focus on completing one task before moving on to the next. You should know I keep a separate long ass scroll list in my notes app for stuff that's not pressing, but I never let that list consume my day."

Time batching or time blocking is effective because it builds structure and boundaries around blocks of time, so that you can dive deep into specific tasks without interruptions that break up your workflow. I take breaks in between each task.

Here are just a few ways to work smarter:

• Plan out your days and weeks in advance.

• Set clear intentions, so you have a plan.

• Planner / whiteboard / google calendar

• Invest in learning

• Automate tasks

• Use "Do Not Disturb" on your phone

• Don't multitask

• Do important work only

• Become organized

• Limit doing email to 3x's per day or less.

• Measure results, not time

• Stick to a routine

• Works in blocks

• Turn off phone notifications for unimportant apps.

• Relieve stress. Reward yourself for your hard work (self care)

• Find tasks to eliminate

I'm sure this applies to some of you even if you're in a drastically different career. We all want to do the easy tasks first that are the fastest, but they might not be the most important. I just wanted to share how I've been scheduling my day and maybe it can help you get closer and closer to your goals and dreams too!

Do posts like this bring you value? Let me know in the comments section below!

My Dad Shares His Experience Of Growing Up In "Da Bronx"

I will always have fond memories of growing up in “Da Bronx” in the 1950’s. It is an experience that is best described as an extraordinary moment in time. "Da Bronx" was a true melting pot consisting of a multitude of ethnic groups who co-existed in towering walk up tenements.

The days were filled with activities that every young kid enjoyed like playing stickball in the middle of the street or preparing for downhill street races using orange crates and skates attached to a 2 by 4. My friends and I also had fun horsing around playing "Johnny on the Pony" and "Skully" with crayons melted in bottle caps. These were all activities that kept us busy until night.

We all spent time hanging around the stoop discussing the issues of the day. Those were easier times when politics and wars were the furthest thing from our minds and TV news anchors kept their opinions to themselves and just reported the news. On summer nights, we had impromptu parties on what we famously called “Tar Beach” which was the rooftop of the tenement building. The fire escapes provided a cool place to sleep on the hot steamy nights.

The mixed aromas of the exotic foods being prepared for dinner each evening filled the air throughout the neighborhood.

Voices of mom’s calling out from their windows to their children to come home for dinner was a daily ritual.

Saturday afternoon was spent with my Mom, food shopping at the market on Arthur Avenue and carrying the bags of food home. Afterwards, we rewarded ourselves with a slice of pizza at The Half Moon Pizzeria.

We all looked forward to Saturday night when the local church dance would be held in their auditorium. The formation of the girls standing together on one side and the boys on the other side of the dance floor gave everyone the opportunity to select who they wanted to dance with that night. The chaperones would keep a keen eye on the slow dancers, reminding them to make room for the Holy Ghost. The fast dancing resembled everyone appearing to have an out of body experience.

If you had a date on Saturday, the local movie theater was an option either at the RKO Fordham or the majestic Paradise Theater on the Grand Concourse with it’s grand staircase and ceiling which appeared to reach to the heavens with thousands of sparkling stars.

The evening would not be complete without taking your date to Jahn's Ice Cream parlor and ordering a “Kitchen Sink” which consisted of a scoop of ice cream of every flavor topped with bananas, cherries, sprinkles and whip cream!

Sunday morning was set aside for early Mass and dressing up with the clothes that our parents bought for us every year for Easter Sunday. After Mass, we headed to the local bakery to pick up fresh Italian bread and pastries while Mom prepared dinner at exactly 2pm like clockwork. Attendance was mandatory.

Growing up in the "Da Bronx" is an experience that created the most talented and creative minds of our time. Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Stanley Kubrick, famed astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, movie directors and producers Penny and Garry Marshall, comic book writer, Stan Lee, actors, Alan Alda, Carl Reiner, Al Pacino, Kerry Washington, Ellen Barkin and Chazz Palminteri. These are just a handful of Bronxites among hundreds who contributed their talents.

I am so blessed to have grown up in an environment that has taught me how the simple things in life can make you happy and the diversity of friendships will last a lifetime.